Moccasin shoe and blank therefor



April 23, 1968 R. J. POTVIN, JR 3,378,940

MOCCASIN SHOE AND BLANK THEREFOR Filed June 22, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Fig.1- /0 :24 lawezaiofl:

Md JPowz'mJ'n Q9 mihfizm April 23, 1968 v R. J. POTVIN, JR 3,378,940

MOCCASIN SHOE AND BLANK THEREFOR Filed June 22, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Fig.6.

47 lawenfoa Wu? J. P01301622, Jr. by WW'D-W United States Patent3,378,940 MOCCASIN SHOE AND BLANK THEREFQR Richard J. Potvin, Jr.,Brockton, Mass, assignor to R. J.

Potvin Shoe Company, Inc., Brockton, Mass, a corporation ofMassachusetts Filed dune 22, 1964, Ser. No. 376,743 Claims. (Cl. 36-11)This invention relates to moccasin shoes, and pertains more particularlyto improvements in a shoe of the type shown in United States Patent No.2,859,543.

A shoe upper of the type disclosed in the aforesaid patent has anarcuate toe seam disposed across the bottom of the toe part slightly tothe rear of the forward edge, or feather line, of the shoe, and acentral bottom seam extending from the middle of the toe seam back tothe heel. The toe seam may be closed by sewing from one end of the seamto the middle, transferring the work to bring the opposite end of thetoe seam under the presser foot of the sewing machine and proceeding tothe middle, then turning the shoe under the presser foot and stitchingthe central seam from front to back. Alternatively the bottom may beclosed by sewing the toe seam from end to end, then moving the Work tobring the middle under the presser foot to start the central seam. Ineither case two discontinuous seaming operations are required to closethe bottom of the shoe. The closing of the seams also requires skillfulmanipulation on the part of the operator. The closing of this type ofshoe is especially difficu'lt in the case of the seamless heelconstruction disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 355,537 filedMar. 30, 1964, now Patent No. 3,303,585 because the upper blank is inthe form of an upright ring prior to closing the bottom, and is moredifficult to insert under the presser foo't than a flat blank.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a shoe constructionwhich, like the shoe described in the aforesaid patent, has a fullyclosed, smooth bottom, but which can be closed by a single, continuoussewing operation. Another object is to provide an upper blank whichinsures placement of the forward portion of the seam well back of thefeather line so that the stitching does not show after the outsole isattached. Still another object is to provide a blank which is suitablefor making shoes with the broad square toe shape appropriate for infantsand childrens shoes. Other objects, advantages, and novel features willbe apparent from the following description.

The upper blank here disclosed, in one form, consists of a single piececut generally on a large arc, having a central portion which forms thetoe wall, side portions which form the quarters of the shoe and bottomforming portions extending from the side portions. The central portionhas an arcuate front edge slightly offset with respect to the center ofthe blank. One bottom forming portion has a curved bulge in its forwardedge, merging to form a shallow notch with the edge of the centralportion. The other bot-tom forming portion has a tab extending forwardof the central portion and having an inner edge forming a V-shaped notchwith the edge of the central portion.

The bottom of the blank is closed by a continuous seam starting at thebase of the V-shaped notch. In the finished upper, the forward part hasa seam which, viewed from the bottom, looks like a figure seven, in thecase of a left shoe, and a reverse figure seven, in the case of a rightshoe.

In a modified form, the upper is made from a vamp blank, having the sameforward edge configuration as the one-piece upper blank, and a quarterblank which is joined to the vamp blank at the sides. The closingoperation and finished appearance of the bottom seam are essentially thesame as in the case of the one-piece upper.

Both uppers are completed by a plug, as in typical moccasinconstruction.

In the drawings illustrating the invention:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a one-piece upper blank made according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the plug blank;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged bottom view of the upper after the bottom isclosed;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in crosssection, of acompleted shoe made from the upper blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the quarter blank of a modified form of shoemade according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the vamp blank for use with the blank of FIG.5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged bottom view from the blanks of FIGS. 5 and 6; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side elevation of a completed shoe made from theblanks of FIGS. Sand 6.

The blank of FIG. 1, generally indicated by the numeral 10, is cut inone-piece from leather or other material customarily used for shoeuppers. The blank as a whole is disposed on a shallow arc and has acentral portion 11, which forms the toe wall, quarter forming portions12 and 13, and bottom forming flaps 14 and 15. The central portion has acurved upper edge 11a to which the edge 16a of the blank 16, which formsthe plug and tongue of the shoe, is attached. The central portion alsohas a curved forward edge 11b.

Bottom forming flap 14 extends part way along the forward part of thecentral portion and has a forward edge 14a convexly curved from a pointA, which lies under the instep in the finished shoe, and merging withedge 11b to form a shallow indentation at point B. Bottom forming flap15 extends partway along the forward part of central portion 11 andcarries a tab 17 which projects beyond edge 11b. The forward edge 15a offlap 15 is also convexly curved in the region which underlies the ballof the foot in the finished shoe, and joins the inner edge 17a of thetab to form a point at point C. Edge 117a joins edge 11b at point D andthese two edges define a generally V-shaped notch.

Edge 11b of the central portion is slightly offset with respect to thecenter line 18 of the blank, being longer from the center line to pointD. The length of edge 11b from B to D is greater than the length of edge17a from C to D, for example, by about of an inch in a childs size sixshoe.

The plug 16 is normally sewn to edge 11a of the upper blank beforeclosing the bottom of the: shoe. The bottom seam is sewn on a zigzagmachine. To close the bottom, stitching is started at point D and edge17a is butted and sewn to edge 1112. In the process, the excess lengthof edge 11b is worked in, without gathering, so that point C coincideswith point B, a process known as springing. On reaching point C at theend of the tab the operator turns the shoe and continues stitching tojoin edge 15a to edge 14a in butted relationship. The turn can be madewithout raising the presser foot, or drawing any loose loops, as thestitching may follow a somewhat curved path instead of making a sharpcorner around the end of tab 17.

When completed, the bottom of the shoe is closed by a continuous seam20, having a transverse arcuate portion Zila curving convexly toward theforward edge of theshoe, a portion 20b extending through the forepart ofthe shoe and offset from the longitudinal axis L of the shoe and have aslight convex curvature and a straight portion 200 extending from theforepart to the heel along the longitudinal axis. The blank hereillustrated is intended for a right shoe, and the bottom seam, whenviewed from the bottom, resembles an elongated reverse figure seven.

of an upper made The spring introduced by drawing in edge 11b causes thecentral portion 11 to curve under at the bottom, so that seam portion20a lies well back of the forward edge, or feather line, 21 of the shoe.

The upper is completed by joining edges 12a and 13a to form the heelseam 22. A heel stay 23 is then applied, the shoe is slip lasted, and anoutsole 24 attached by cementing or stitching in any well-known manner.It is understood that lining and stiffening pieces, trimming, andeyelets or other fastenings may also be applied in the usual way.

The upper of the shoe illustrated in FIGS. through 8 is made from aquarter blank 30 and a vamp blank 31. The quarter blank has a centralportion 32, which forms the heel, side portions 33 and 34, and bottomforming flaps 35 and 36 extending from the side portions. The vamp blankhas a central portion 37, side portions 38 and 39, and bottom formingfiaps 40 and 41 extending from the side portions. The central portion 37has a curved upper edge 37a to which a plug out according to the samepattern as blank 16* is attached. Portion 37 also has a curved forwardedge 37b extending from point B to point F. Point F is somewhat furtherthan point B from the center line 42 of the blank. Bottom fiap 40 has aforward edge 40a which is convexly curved from point G to point E whereit merges with edge 37b to form a shallow indentation. Flap 41 carries atab 4-3 extending in front of edge 37b and has a forward edge 41a whichis convexly curved toward point H which is the end of the tab. The tabhas an inner edge 43a which joins edge 3712 at point F and definestherewith a V-shaped notch. Edge 37b is somewhat longer than edge 43a.The forward contour of the vamp blank is essentially the same as that ofblank except that the sides are shortened.

To assemble this upper, the plug is sewn in and margins 33a and 34a ofblank are attached to margins 38a and 39a respectively, of blank 31.Edges 40a and 41a are aligned with the lower edges 36a and a of flaps 36and 35. The bottom is then closed by a butt seam 44, made by starting atpoint F and working the excess length of edge 37b to bring point H topoint B, then turning the shoe and continuing to join edges a and 41aand edges 35a and 36a. The finished bottom seam has the sameconfiguration as seam 22 in the shoe made from the one-piece blank.

The shoe of FIGS. 5 through 8 is finished in any common manner, forexample by attaching a heel stay 45 and counter 46, lasting and applyingan outsole 47.

Both forms of shoe are here illustrated as intended for the right foot.The left shoe of a pair is made the same way except that the pattern ofthe one-piece blank, or the vamp pattern, in the case of the two pieceupper, is reversed from right to left. The bottom seam for a left shoewill likewise be similar to those illustrated but reversed from right toleft, So that it has the shape of an elongated figure seven. In allcases the junction of the transverse arcuate portion of the seam withthe longitudinal portion lies toward the outer side of the shoe, and thelongitudinal seam is offset from the longitudinal axis of the shoe inthe forepart.

The finished shoe has a fully closed, smooth bottom, with no overlappingportions, except for the junction of the vamp and quarter blanks in thetwo piece upper. The sole portion which underlies the ball of the foot,in particular, is perfectly smooth and of uniform thickness. Thecurvature of the convex portions of the forward edge of the one-pieceblank or vamp blank can be varied to provide the desired degree offullness in the toe part of the shoe. The spring produced in forming theforward, arcuate portion of the bottom seam causes the seam to lie wellback of the foremost point of the feather line even in a square toedshoe.

The shallow indentation of which the point of the top is matched helpsthe operator to locate the edges properly when sewing the bottom seam.The closing of the shoe by a continuous seaming operation takes lesstime than closing a shoe of the type shown in Patent No. 2,859,543, iseasier and less tiring for the operator, and leaves fewer loose threadsto be trimmed off.

The shoe construction here disclosed thus retains all the advantages ofthe previously patented shoe, yet can be manufactured more easily andeconomically.

What is claimed is:

1. A moccasin shoe comprising an upper having a toe portion andbottom-forming portions disposed in edgeabutting relationship, a forwardedge and a continuous seam joining said toe portion to one of saidbottomforming portions transversely of the forepart of the shoe bottomand rearwardly of said forward edge and joining said bottom-formingportions together longitudinally of the shoe bottom.

2. A blank for a moccasin shoe upper comprising a central toe formingportion having a forward edge, a pair of side portions, one extendingfrom either side of said toe forming portion, a first bottom formingportion extending forward from one of said side portions and having aforward defining with the forward edge of said toe forming portion ashallow indentation, and a second bottom forming portion extendingforward from the other of said side portions, said second bottom formingportion having a substantially V-shaped tab portion extending forwardbeyond the forward edge of said toe forming portion.

3. A moccasin shoe comprising: an upper having a toe portion andbottom-forming portions disposed in fiat edge abutting relationship, aforward edge and a longitudinal axis and a single continuous seamjoining said toe portion to one of said bottom forming portions andjoining said bottom forming portions together; said seam having a firstarcuate portion extending transversely across the forepart of the shoe,a second arcuate portion extending rearwardly along said forepart andoffset from said axis, and a third portion extending directly from saidsecond portion rearwardly to the heel of the shoe.

4. A moccasin shoe as described in claim 3, said third seam portionbeing disposed substantially on said axis.

5. A moccasin shoe as described in claim 3, said shoe having an outerside, said second seam portion being offset from said axis toward saidouter side.

6. A moccasin shoe as described in claim 3, having an outer side, saidfirst seam portion being curved convexly toward said forward edge, andsaid second seam portion being curved convexly toward said outer side.

7. A moccasin shoe as described in claim 3, said upper being formed of asingle piece.

8. A moccasin shoe as described in claim 3, said upper comprising a vampand a quarter attached thereto.

9. A moccasin shoe comprising: an upper having bottom flaps, a toe wallportion, a forward edge, and a longitudinal axis, one of said flapshaving a tab portion disposed in fiat edge-abutting relationship withsaid toe wall portion and the opposite flap and extending across saidaxis; and a continuous seam having a first portion joining said tabportion to said toe wall portion transversely across the forepart of theshoe bottom, a second portion joining said tab portion to the oppositebottom flap and offset from said axis in said forepart, and a thirdportion extending rearwardly from said forepart to the heel of the shoeand joining said flaps together in flap edge-abutting relationship.

10. A moccasin shoe as described in claim 9, said tap portion beinggenerally V-shaped.

11. A blank for a moccasin shoe upper in the general form of anelongated strip comprising a central toe forming a portion having aforward edge, a pair of side portions, one extending sidewardly fromeither side of said toe forming portion, a first bottom forming portionextending forward from one of said side portions, and a second bottomforming portion extending forward from the other of said side portions,said first bottom forming portion having a forward edge merging with andcurving in a smooth gradual curve away from the forward edge of said toeforming portion, and said second bottom forming portion having a tabportion extending forward of the forward edge of said toe formingportion.

12. A blank as described in claim 11, said tab portion having an inneredge joining the forward edge of said toe portion at an acute angle.

13. A blank as described in claim 11, the forward edge of said firstbottom forming portion joining the forward edge of said toe portion atan obtuse angle.

14. A blank as described in claim 11, said tab portion having a convexlycurved forward edge.

15. A blank as described in claim 11, said tab portion having a convexlycurved inner edge joining the forward edge of said toe forming portion,and the forward edge of said toe forming portion being convexly curvedand longer than said inner edge.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1966 Trachsel et al 36-485/1934 Anderson 12.-142 X 1/1941 Medwed 36-11 11/1948 Potvin 36-1111/1942 Shields 36-11 3/1961 Wolff 36--11 9/ 1911 Mitchell 3647 2/ 1950Engel 3647 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/ 1906 France. 9/ 1956 France. 10/ 1963France.

9/1950 Italy.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

1. A MOCCASIN SHOE COMPRISING AN UPPER HAVING A TOE PORTION ANDBOTTOM-FORMING PORTIONS DISPOSED IN EDGEABUTTING RELATIONSHIP, A FORWARDEDGE AND A CONTINUOUS SEAM JOINING SAID TOE PORTION TO ONE OF SAIDBOTTOMFORMING PORTIONS TRANSVERSELY OF THE FOREPART OF THE SHOE BOTTOMAND REARWARDLY OF SAID FORWARD EDGE AND JOINING SAID BOTTOM-FORMINGPORTIONS TOGETHER LONGITUDINALLY OF THE SHOE BOTTOM.